Jake Gyllenhaal a sight for sore eyes (and feet) and Maggie 'can't remember' making Jake drink like a cat...

It's good to hear that all that training at the Beverly Hills Medical Center has paid off. Not surprisingly, not everyone was able to complete the 100-mile epic endurance race up and down Colorado's mountains yesterday but for those who fell by the wayside and ended up in the Aid Station, there was a sight there bound to cheer up anyone despite the size of their blisters or the state of their ligaments and muscles - Jake Gyllenhaal. Yes, Jake was strategically located in the Aid Station where, no doubt, he was a great help, handing out plasters, ointments and leg rubs accompanied by soothing words and smiles.


One runner tweeted: 'I ran 12 miles, almost 5000 ft elevation gain, and descent, got John to aid station before cutoff. Saw Jake Gyllenhaal there...very surreal.' Surreal is definitely one word for it, 'welcome' is another. Or 'hot'. Since yesterday, all is now quiet on the Gyllenfront with Jake Gyllenhaal possibly having moved on to witness further sporting marathons for his research - although it's hard to fathom how this event can be beaten.


This post features some of my favourite pictures of Jake and a plaster (bandaid). They're from July 2006.



Maggie's little brother

Maggie Gyllenhaal has been promoting the release of Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang over the last few days (which feels strange here as - in a reversal of how things normally happen - this film has been out on DVD in the UK for quite a while). As part of the promo, Maggie appeared on a couple of shows where the interviewers were all too keen to talk to her about her talented - and did I say hot? - sibling. On the Early Show last week, Maggie talked about how she had had a video chat with Jake via a new iPhone app and so had enjoyed seeing his face. While, no doubt, telling him to shave that fuzz off it. You can watch the video here.


Maggie also visited Regis and Kelly, the worst chat show that I have ever had to sit through in the name of Gyllenhaalicism. In this interview, Maggie was given the chance to defend herself against Jake's accusation that she had made him drink from a saucer of milk like a cat. No doubt words were later exchanged about this during another iPhone video chat. You can watch that video here but, be warned, it has Regis and Kelly in it.


Includes pictures from IHJ.

The Race Across the Sky - Jake Gyllenhaal in Leadville with Peter Sarsgaard and Chris McDougall, author of Born to Run

Today the Leadville Trail 100 Mile Run took place across the forest trails and mountain roads of the Rockie. As if running 50 miles isn't enough, in this Race Across the Sky, you then turn round and run it all back again. Jake Gyllenhaal has been in Colorado to watch the race (he isn't listed in the runners) along with Peter Sarsgaard and he has been leaving a trail of his own. Competitor Jerell was lucky enough to get a picture to share on Twitter. That's either Jake Gyllenhaal on the left or Grizzly Adams.


And now we are also able to identify further people from the photo yesterday (shown below). In addition to the always unmistakable back of Jake, that is a very slim Peter Sarsgaard on the right, disguised by a Fedora. The hairless chap looks like Christopher McDougall, the author of Born to Run, which, according to the rumours coming out of Leadville, is the reason for Jake's visit.


Jake was also seen at an aid station (looking 'very cute and taller than I expected); in his natural habitat of a coffee shop; and in an outdoor clothing and equipment store with Peter last night, where they bought 'some little camping stuff'. In fact, they liked the Sawatch Backcountry shop so much they went back again today.

I think this is most definitely a developing story. Congratulations to all the runners - what an incredible endurance event.

Pictures from links

Review of Salt and my top ten list of action heroes at MovieBrit.

Born to Run - Jake Gyllenhaal in Colorado to research a sports movie? In disguise!

Update: The possible project in question: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It sounds great - and I can't think of anyone better to play such a role.

Sometimes I think Jake Gyllenhaal has got hold of some sort of mysterious scifi transportation device (I realise I've been watching too much of Galaxy Quest lately), the reason being he nips in and out of cities and locations as if he were some kind of timelord. Yes, one minute Jake's taking his new Triumph out for a spin to get a ticket and the next he's seen amidst a group of insane people in Colorado. Why are they insane? Because they're about to run 50 miles, that's why. In (or up) mountains. To be precise Leadville, Colorado.


One competitor, Brandon Fuller, had this to say of the prerace meeting: 'After leaving the assembly, we heard rumors of Hollywood stars in the mix. Turns out Jake Gyllenhaal of gay cowboy fame was up in the rafters in a big beard and hat. We haven’t figured out his role in this yet but the lowdown seems to be a Born to Run movie in the works. They aren’t filming the movie right now. I am thinking they are doing some scouting and maybe some “day in the life” stuff so they can then portray it in a film? Seems silly since its such an event in itself and doesn’t need to be acted in my opinion. Anyway, here is a back shot of him...'

Here is the picture. I think you'll agree, Jake looks well prepared. I love the look of that camera. And thanks to the reader for pointing him out, that's a disguised Peter Sarsgaard on the right! Good to see Jake's old fedoras coming in handy (and not on Jake's head).


And another blogger, Joghard, said: 'Jake Gyllenhaal was at the pre-race meeting in disguise of sorts. Actually, he blended very well with the trail crowd with a big beard. I think they are making a movie. Kind of cool.'


I'm sure you'll agree that if anyone's born to run, it's Speedy Jake Gyllenhaal. We've heard rumours of sporting biopics for years, perhaps one is actually taking shape.



And, if the secret is now out, surely the disguise can come off?


Ghost forest - a WDW Interlude

While riding around Oxford today, we came across a ghost forest outside the Natural History Museum. These truly impressive and awe-inspiring trunks and roots had been brought by ship from the diminishing rainforests of Guyana, Africa. The trees will be in Oxford for a year and, if you can see them, please do try. You'll find them at the end of the dinosaur footprints. Here's the official site. Mr WDW then bought a pterodactyl plushie. Name and shame, that's my policy.



Pictures from here, IHJ and WDW.

Jake Gyllenhaal behind the scenes and Jake talks about Anne Hathaway and knowing what makes women tick

I've just got back from watching Piranha 3D. As a result, this post will have absolutely no mention of fish in it. Or water. Instead, I'm taking the opportunity to do a little more catch up from May and those glorious days of Prince of Persia's release on to the world, when Jake Gyllenhaal wowed the red carpeted crowds and photographers alike. In these videos from MovieWeb, we have some more red carpet action from Moscow and London and some other behind the scenes moments - notably of Jake posing for the cameras on that roof top in front of Red Square and on the stage in front of the audience.





A couple of caps of Jake on the stage in Moscow.



Jake talks about Anne Hathaway and women

After all the Love and Other Drugs excitement of recent days, here are a few words from Jake about what it was like to work with Anne Hathaway, in the past and today: 'Annie and I had been through a lot together during the filming of Brokeback Mountain. I was still struggling with the separation fromKirsten Dunst and Annie heard my whining for hours and comforted me. We know each other so well now that the love scenes for Love and Other Drugs were in the can after a day. I play a pharmaceutical spokesperson, who fell in love with a woman, played by Annie, who suffers from Parkinson's disease.'


Jake also tells us that he's friends with Lance Armstrong 'Yes, Lance and I are good friends. Like him, I love to ride a bike. I even privately rode 46 km of the Tour de France in the Alps with Lance.'


He talks about Maggie and Ramona: 'At home, our job doesn't matter - even though our whole family is involved with show business. Our father is a director, our mother is a screenwriter our mother. Three years ago, Maggie's daughter Ramona was born. Since then, I've been an uncle and I love that girl above everything.'


Jake talks about fatherhood: 'It's a huge responsibility because you have to be so selfless. But I'm really looking forward to becoming a father one day.' And does Jake find it hard to understand women? 'Sometimes yes, but fortunately I have spent a lot of time with my sister and her friends and I know how women tick (laughs). You just have exceptionally high power and energy.'


And a repeat of an old answer about the state of his love life: 'I am an ascetic, living in a cave. I no longer have sex and so I've become much more interesting (laughs).'


And finally...

Stephanie of IHJ sent me a link today that has made me laugh so loud and long. I hope you enjoy it.

If you're interested, you can read my review of Piranha 3D here!

Includes pictures from IHJ. No human was injured by a fish during the making of this post.

Love and Other Drugs continues to tick all the boxes, Maggie Gyllenhaal joins Peter on screen and Jake's the perfect gentleman

Love and Other Drugs continues its test screening journey across the world and this week it reached London. While finding it a little strange to think of this film playing so near (and yet so far), it's great to hear that the movie is still wowing its testers as they tick all the boxes on the clipboard. And again, we hear how the Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway combo is making audiences - male and female - both laugh and cry.


Here's the IMDb report and, yet again, it's by a male viewer, and not your traditional female RomCom fan. 'I saw this last night [Tuesday 17 August] at a test screening here in London. Both me and my friend came out of the cinema absolutely, unanimously loving the film. I didn't really know what to expect going in, but at the end we were asked to fill out a comment card and it ticked pretty much every good box going.'


'Gyllenhaal and Hathaway have a brilliant chemistry on screen and the story seemlessly went from hilarious to heart-touchingly sad. It can take a lot to make me laugh, but there were some truly laugh out loud belly laughs, and it can take a lot to make me cry, but the way the film deals with Hathaway's character's Parkinsons disease was incredibly emotional.'


'I just watched the trailer and it does a decent job of telling you what the plot is about, but the film itself has so much going for it it's hard to condense it down to a 2 minute trailer, so don't judge a film by it's trailer. All in all, it's by far one of the best drama/romantic/comedies I've seen in a long long time. Highly recommended!' He later goes on to describe one scene dealing with Anne's illness as 'quite harrowing'. It sounds like this is, after all, a difficult film to characterise and full of surprises and delights for its audience.


A family affair

At the New York premiere of Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (such a good film - do go and see it or, in the UK, watch the DVD), Maggie Gyllenhaal revealed that she is joining Peter Sarsgaard in the bluegrass biopic of Bill Monroe. How wonderful it will be to see the two of them together on the big screen. You can bet that'll be one film Jake will be watching with great interest.


Chesty

Jake's chest meanwhile is an object of contension at PoPSugar with your vote required for its victory against other fine Hollywoodian abs.



And finally...

We've been formally introduced to Jake's lovely new Triumph but it looks as if some PoP spending money has gone on another vehicle, a convertible. But, as always, whatever the vehicle, Jake is leaving an impression. And, in this case, it's as the perfect gentleman.

'My merging lane was coming to an end – and you know what that means – the lane is slowly getting narrower – and my patience is slowly getting less and less. Is anybody going to let me in??!! Finally another dude (did I just say dude?) in a convertible motions to me. He is letting me in! I was reassured that I was a nice guy and having a good hair day. Even better, I check into my rearview mirror after I pull in to wave to this good highway Samaritan and wouldn’t you know it? It was Jake Gyllenhall! Yes the Prince of Persia himself! As I wave thank you, he gives a cool Brokeback Mountain nod of acknowledgement. Is there such a thing as a Brokeback Mountain nod? At any rate, my point is this: just like Charlton Heston parted the Red Sea as Moses, Jake Gyllenhaal parted the sea of traffic for me!'


Includes pictures from IHJ and Getty.

What tune is on Jake's phone? Jake Gyllenhaal answers the questions we want to know! And WDW's Cornish Celtic Interlude concluded...

If you have ever wondered what tune Jake Gyllenhaal has playing on his mobile/cell phone, or if he ever falls asleep in front of the TV and, if he does, what food he has on his TV dinner tray then look no further. With huge thanks to a good friend for sending me the scan, here is Jake Gyllenhaal in the 11 August edition of Gala.


Here are some of the questions and answers, which provide little glimpses into Jake's life and show that, in so many ways, he's just like us, and hot.

Whether Jake is ever confused with another actor: 'Yes, Tobey! Perhaps because we both lived, at different times, with the same person [Kirsten Dunst]. Despite some rivalry, we have a lot of respect for each other. I admire his career.'


Jake's first girlfriend: 'She found me too talkative and left me very quickly. She wasn't wrong.'

Is Jake 'good at pulling'? 'They wanted to label me as a seducer, but now I think I've proved that I'm not like that, and I can't turn over a new leaf overnight.

At school Jake was more interested in the early history of cinema than in the early history of the earth.


Does Jake ever fall asleep in front of the TV? 'Yes, and it's not a good sign. It means I'm alone and I'm depressed, so it's better that it happens as little as possible.' In my experience, all men fall asleep in front of the TV - they have a gene for it - and so Jake shouldn't feel bad that this happens to him.

What's on Jake's 'in front of the TV' dinner tray? 'Not much. Definitely a sandwich that I made in a rush, with some chips.' I think by 'chips' Jake doesn't mean chips, but crisps (hopefully cheese and onion, or barbecue beef).

If Jake were watching TV and one of his movies came on, would he watch it? 'That's very rare. It would have to be because I have an excellent memory of the shoot and because I took that time to heart.'


Does Jake think he's ugly? Yes he does - very, very ugly. 'At those times, it's better to avoid me.' But, fortunately, less attention is made to appearance these days. 'We try to grow and be a better person.'

What are Jake's first thoughts in the morning when he looks in the mirror? 'Nothing, I can't even think in the morning. I always feel like I'm in a coma. I take a shower, I try to eat breakfast and I go to work'.

Does Jake have any paparazzi disguises? 'If you consider a cap a disguise, yes. It doesn't really cover me but I have an impression of feeling protected.'

Jake's remedy against stage fright: 'Sport! Individual or as a team, such as basketball. That's my only weapon to exhaust all my fears.'

What stresses Jake the most? 'The holidays at the end of the year. My mother's Jewish and my father Christian. And all these religious festivals and traditions end up seriously distressing me.'


What prevents Jake from sleeping? 'Unfinished work. If something prevents me from completing a scene, I find it impossible to sleep'.

Has Jake ever been on a diet? 'Yes, but for my muscles. For the movie Prince of Persia, I had to put on lots of muscle, so I managed a balanced diet with extra protein.'

What's the messsage on Jake's phone? 'At first, my voicemail said politely: 'You are through to Jake's phone, please leave a message after the beep'. I was told that the message was corny and it wasn't wise to talk about myself but I should be using a prerecorded message. I gave in to the pressure and now people complain because they are never sure that they're on the right answer phone.'


Jake's phone tune: 'A musician friend composed a tune exclusively for my cell phone. I complained that I had the same tune as everyone else. Thanks to him, without doubt, I always know if it's my phone or not.'

What a great interview! So many thanks to 4JG for sending me the scan. Any faults with the translation are mine, and not Jake's.

A bicycle adventure

Bicycle adventurer Kevin Foster, while signing books this week, suggested that a movie of his cycle ride along the Great Wall of China may be about to become a reality and Jake Gyllenhaal is a possible for the role (with Kathy Bates as the mother). Jake has been attached to cycling films before and so time will tell if this is on the cards or wishful thinking. More information here.


WDW's Cornish Celtic Adventure

After the excitement of a biking Jake, fresh from two uberhot Love and Other Drugs trailers, there's a chance now to post some pictures from my last day in Cornwall. I visted the Celtic site of Chysauster - a collection of about 8 courtyard houses (and a scary fogou) built as the Romans held sway across the rest of England. A truly beautiful location, with a view across the sea, made these the des res abodes of prehistoric Cornwall (and a distinct improvement upon some of the other prehistoric settlements of Britain I might mention - often situated in bogs - where just being able to stand up in the face of hostile elements would have made it a good day).





Finally, I ate three Cornish fish in Porthleven. One of the three Cornish fish was the Gurnard and if I had had half an inkling of how truly ugly this fish was I wouldn't have gone within 10 yards of it. It tasted like it looked.


Many thanks to Amar! Other pictures from IHJ and WDW.

At last! Jake Gyllenhaal out on his motorbike! And it's a Triumph!

It's all too much...! As if the second Love and Other Drugs trailer wasn't enough, now we are treated to the highly anticipated and much longed for pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal out and about with his motorbike! And not only that, it's a bloody fantastic bike, a classic British bike, the Triumph Bonneville T100. And doesn't he look great on it?! As a Triumph rider myself (admittedly a lesser model but still with that earthy gritty roar that makes people stop and look), I am slightly over-excited by these pictures. Just a tad. Many many thanks to IHJ for these absolutely amzing photographs, which include father Stephen, which were taken at Cafe Midi in LA yesterday. I'd have to sit down if I wasn't already.


I'm reliably informed by Mr WDW that Jake should watch how he goes above 70mph on these bikes as bits start to fall off. If I look very carefully I'm sure that back seat has my name written on it.